


yours truly

by aloebits



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: M/M, angst? kinda? it's more like Mild Sadness tbh, repeated use of a phrase, set in high school, seungjin learns the importance of communication, short sweet n simple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25409956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aloebits/pseuds/aloebits
Summary: Seungmin is patient.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 12
Kudos: 68





	yours truly

**Author's Note:**

> hello! it's been quite a while since i've been satisfied enough with a work to upload it, but my friend convinced me to post this one. i wrote this after not being able to sleep for a few hours and opening a document to just vibe L O L i hope you enjoy :~)

Seungmin is patient. 

It was a virtue that had been taught to him ever since he was young; make sure to wait for your food to cool down before you start eating, make sure to let people into the elevator before you, make sure you let others finish talking before you say anything. It was in his nature to kindly, quietly wait, and it was something that had shaped him into the person that he is today.

So when Hyunjin came into his life, Seungmin was prepared for how eager and excitable he was. Hwang Hyunjin, the boy in his freshman year biology class that was ready to take on the world, swept Seungmin with him in every single one of his adventures.

When Hyunjin said that he would one day get a job to pay Seungmin back for all of the times he shared a lunch with him, Seungmin nodded and gave a toothy smile. It took him three years to get that job, and while Seungmin never said anything to rush him into getting it, he also never complained whenever Hyunjin would take the bill when they would go out for a meal.

When Hyunjin said that one day he would be able to do well in his stats class with the help of Seungmin and his “god-tier” notes, Seungmin simply nodded and gave some words of encouragement to his best friend. When Hyunjin’s final grade came back as a solid B, Seungmin thought to himself that all of the hours they spent in his room going over formulas was worth it, especially when Hyunjin was holding him tight and jumping for joy.

When Hyunjin said that one day he would find the time to hang out with Seungmin more, Seungmin nodded and said that he would look forward to it. Hyunjin had been pretty busy lately, with varsity swim practice, with his dance team. And of course, with his new girlfriend. 

From what Seungmin knew of her, she was responsible, diligent but warm. That kind of person fit Hyunjin, Seungmin thought. Ever since they started dating, however, Seungmin feels as though he sees Hyunjin less and less. Their weekly game nights turned monthly, and their texts became sparse and hollow. When Seungmin would think too much about it, he would worry and think that there was something going on with his friend.

But when Seungmin sees him in the hallways, he always seems to be laughing, and she always seems to be there with him. When Seungmin sees him like this, he takes a deep breath, one of relief. Or, at least, that’s what he tells himself.

Seungmin is patient. 

He knows that once swim season is over and the dance team has their season-end performance, then Hyunjin would start to be able to spend more time with him, and things would go back to normal.

Except it doesn’t. Even after going to his swim meets and congratulating him for another incredible performance after the show was over, Hyunjin was whisked away by his girlfriend and their group of friends, people that Seungmin was never introduced to.

Seungmin was left alone after a brief “thanks for coming” and a promise of an upcoming hangout. He tries to ignore the feeling of abandonment, just as he tries to ignore the fact that he didn’t even get a chance to give Hyunjin the flowers that he picked out. 

And while he was tired, confused, and maybe even a little sad, Seungmin didn’t let himself feel that way for long. He knew how much being with others made Hyunjin happy - he’s seen it, clear as day. Seungmin wasn’t going to take that away from him. So he would wait, hopeful that one day the promise of a hangout, of time spent with his best friend, would be fulfilled.

Seungmin is patient. 

When spring rolls around and Seungmin finds himself busy with prom preparations, time seems to pick up its pace. Being a part of the student body was always stress-inducing, always finding ways to keep Seungmin on his toes. Prom season was no different, if not multiplying his hardships tenfold. 

Juggling the responsibilities of finding a proper venue, budgeting for decorations and catering, as well as managing the schedules of the teachers who volunteered for adult supervision, Seungmin was also blessed with exam after exam, earning him almost exactly zero time for himself for a good two and a half months. 

But Seungmin is patient. He knew that if he were to be able to power through all of this, only good things would come in the end.

It’s prom night when he finally sighs, one of satisfaction, one of release. It was a good half hour into the festivities, and at this point he was confident that things would be able to run smoothly. He could relax, if just for a little.

While he didn’t have a date, he’d been told multiple times that day that he would have made a fine one, although he didn’t really think so himself. His plain black suit was made only a little bit more distinctive from others with a satin purple tie he wears for almost any special occasion, coupled with the lilac boutonnière that his mom helped him put on earlier that day. 

Mid-sip of lemon-lime soda from the foam cup in his hand is when Seungmin sees Hyunjin again after what felt like forever. 

Hyunjin, ever the effortless beauty, was wearing a classic black and white suit, tailored to fit his lean body. The look was timeless, and the silver accessories that he had on only did more to elevate his already seamless appearance. He had walked into the room with such a casual and nonchalant air that somehow made him even more attractive than he already was.

Seungmin decided that it was time for him to take a step outside.

Their high school was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to host their prom at the local ballroom. Not many other places could fit this amount of students, considering that the school’s gym was also closed for renovations at the time. While the venue was already filled with pieces of art and quite frankly, the largest, almost impractical chandelier that Seungmin had ever seen, the student body decided to put up a few more things to make it seem more personable. Streamers with their school colors were strung between pillars on the walls, tables were set with candles in vases (though the candles were fake, as the administration had told them that a real fire would be too much of a hazard). 

Seungmin’s personal favorite was the lights that they had strung up on the outside seating area. The bulbs were strung along a set of boards meant to help vines grow along, but they had been allowed to decorate it, as long as they didn’t disturb the plants that were growing along the sides. They were close to spending a fortune on this detail alone, but thankfully one of the student body members found a deal on these specific sepia-toned light fixtures, and what would have been a plain outdoor section was instantly given a more rustic feel. 

The sun had already set quite a bit, the temperature dropping with it. The mid-spring air would usually be a burden on Seungmin and his allergies, but the night air was pleasant to take in. The music inside was still clearly audible - the bass of the system that the DJ was using was pretty high end. At least, that’s what Seungmin hoped, considering how much money they paid for the guy.

Seungmin shakes his head.  _ Relax, _ he tells himself.  _ This isn’t the time for worrying. _ He lets his thoughts clear a little bit more, trying to enjoy himself after all of the hard work that he went through. 

Barely fifteen seconds into trying to clear his head, he remembers why he was thankful he was so busy for so long.

Hyunjin is the first thing, the only thing that comes to mind. Seungmin would only be reminded of him in passing during the few months leading up to now, sometimes on his social media or when he’s running in between classrooms on campus. Whenever this happened, it was the same - he would see Hyunjin, acknowledge his existence, maybe exchange a smile with a wave of the hand, and would carry on with whatever needed his attention at the time. Being busy gave him a great distraction from what he actually needed to be dealing with.

Seungmin liked Hyunjin. A lot. He might have known this before their gradual distancing, and if he did, he elected to ignore the feeling for the sake of their relationship.

Seeing as there wasn’t much of a relationship between them anymore, Seungmin didn’t feel as much of a need to run away from the idea. 

Seungmin didn’t realize that he so desperately wanted to be the one that made Hyunjin happy, to be the one that he goes to at the end of the day. Seungmin didn’t realize that he wanted to be the one that Hyunjin thought was special - the one that Hyunjin holds hands with and maybe even shares kisses with occasionally. 

But he also knew that that couldn’t be him. He knew that Hyunjin was already happy with his girlfriend, with his new friends. And maybe the feeling of being discarded and pushed aside was a bit hurtful to Seungmin, but he knew that he would be okay eventually. It was just like he knew that getting over Hyunjin was going to hurt, he knew that he would be okay eventually. 

Seungmin is patient. He would be okay eventually. 

A voice pulls him out of his train of thought. He turns to locate its source, an act not too difficult, seeing as he was the only one out here before his thoughts were interrupted. He finds a familiar face, lips pulled in a gentle smile.

“Hi, Seungmin.”

“Hey, Hyunjin.”

“Do you mind if I join you out here?”

Seungmin shakes his head and motions for Hyunjin to join him on the balustrade that he was leaning on. Hyunjin saunters over, placing his elbows on the stone on Seungmin’s left, peering out into the distance, not looking at anything in particular.

“It’s been a while since we’ve talked to each other.”

“Yeah, I’ve been a little busy.” Seungmin doesn’t mean for his response to be curt, but this being the most conversation he’s shared with Hyunjin in months is throwing him off. 

“I can see. You did an amazing job with this, Seungmin.” He’s genuine in his compliment, something that’s to be expected from Hyunjin. Never a malicious comment from him, never something said out of spite. Seungmin grins at him.

“Thanks. I didn’t do all of this by myself, though. The rest of the board helped a ton. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.” Hyunjin replies with a smile, though not a full one like he usually does. There’s a break in the conversation, and Seungmin almost feels the need to fill the silence with nonsense as a means to ease any awkward air between the two, but he remembers that it was just  _ Hyunjin _ , and he had nothing to worry about. He finds comfort in the brief silence before starting again with “your hair is getting kinda long.”

“Oh, really?” Hyunjin runs the tips of his fingers lightly through his styled hair, careful not to disturb the product holding the shape together. “I guess you’re right. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a barbershop.” 

Seungmin chuckles. “It’s not a bad look, though. Maybe just a little shaggy.” They both laugh lightly at this, and Hyunjin’s eyes crinkle up the way they always have. Seungmin’s chest swells. “What’s up with the plain color scheme? No matching color with your date?”

“Date? Oh—” Hyunjin cuts himself off with a chuckle. “I. Yeah. We broke up.” 

Seungmin stiffens. “Oh, Hyunjin, I’m so sorry, I really had no idea,” he grimaces, but Hyunjin waves a dismissive hand in front of him. 

“No, no, it’s okay. Really. It was a little while ago, and I think it was my fault anyway.” 

“Aw, Hyunjin. Don’t say something like that.” Seungmin takes one of Hyunjin’s hands and squeezes it in his own. He notices the other form a sad smile with tired eyes, but the feeling of gratitude wasn’t lost.

“Can I hug you?” Hyunjin asks, almost too quiet to hear. Seungmin nods in response, pulling him into a tight embrace, both sighing into it.

Even with the cologne that he was wearing, Hyunjin smelled the same way that Seungmin remembered. Hyunjin’s own personal cocktail was made up of a specific brand of laundry detergent, his deodorant, and just the faintest hint of chlorine that never went away. The warmth of his chest was a nice sensation in contrast to the outdoor air, and maybe it was troublesome for Seungmin to be enjoying this, but he was just happy to have his best friend back.

“I’ve missed you, Seungmin.”

“I’ve missed you too, Hyunjin.”

“I’m really sorry for what happened.” Seungmin can hear Hyunjin getting choked up, and tries his best to disguise a gentle laugh as a breath. It wasn’t that he was enjoying the fact that Hyunjin was getting emotional - it was just such a  _ Hyunjin _ thing to do. He’s glad to see that nothing has changed. “I didn’t mean for us to grow apart like that.”

“It’s okay. You were happy.”

“I’m not sure if I was, Seungmin.” Hyunjin takes a moment, maybe to gather his thoughts, before continuing. “Maybe I thought so at first, but the longer I was in that relationship, the more time I spent without you, the more I felt like something was missing.

“I didn’t really notice it until we really  _ really _ stopped talking, though. When I would feel like something was wrong when I didn’t get a text from you after school asking if I got home okay and asking how practice was. A month after that, I realized I couldn’t be in a relationship if I was thinking about missing you than I was thinking about her.” 

Seungmin separates from the hug then, placing his arms on Hyunjin’s shoulders. When they meet each others’ eyes, Hyunjin has a meek expression, almost shying away from Seungmin. 

“I think I like you, Seungmin. And it sucks that I didn’t notice that before this.” Hyunjin takes a hesitant breath.. “I know at this point it’s a little weird for me to say that, but I just wanted to be honest with you. If it weirds you out, that’s okay, I’ll find a way to get over it. Just don’t leave me again.”

Seungmin is patient. He has been all his life. The one time he isn’t is when he takes the sides of Hyunjin’s face and kisses him tenderly, and even then he waits, just for a bit, for Hyunjin to kiss him back. 

When they pull away, they share a smile.

“I won’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading ! i hope you stay safe and healthy~
> 
> seungjin nation RISE


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